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have a zombie climb out of the ground.

Anyone be able to give me any tips on showing zombies or other creatures pull themselves out from the ground? I want a shot of them coming out in full starting with there hand coming out and pulling themselves out. any advice?
 
Dig a hole. Place the actor in the hole and cover everything but
his face with dirt. Roll tape. The actor closes his eyes and holds
his breath as two or three people cover his face with dirt quickly
then clear the frame. The actor then raises his hand out of the
dirt then crawls out.

Do not cover the actor with so much dirt that the weight of it
restricts his movement. With good lighting and acting on set
and sound effects in post you can make it look like the actor
was buried deeply.
 
Do not cover the actor with so much dirt that the weight of it
restricts his movement.

I have to echo this. I was buried for a movie. I had a box over my head (also covered with dirt), with a vacuum hose for an air tube. The dirt was damp and I could hardly move. No one could hear me call for help, because the dirt is almost soundproof.

Rik's advice is good, but pay careful attention.

Another way to do it is put your actor in the hole and cover it with a sheet of wood. BE SURE TO USE 2" by 4" (on their side, not flat) or 4" by 4" CROSS SUPPORT BEAMS across the hole and lay the sheet board on top of them. Otherwise, the weight of the dirt can collapse the sheet of wood. Have a hole (big enough to crawl out of) on one side of the board. Your actor should use the side of the hole and not put his weight on the wood, when he comes out.

Lay a sheet of plastic over the board and hole, and cover it all with thick dirt. You can use a walkie talkie or cell phone to relay "Action" to the actor under the ground. He can cut or rip the plastic (which should sag a bit into the hole from the weight of dirt). The dirt falls in (like into the space of the casket) and the zombie pushes out.

If you put a fog machine in with your actor, he can also pump a small amount of fog in the hole, just prior to coming out.

I buried my wife using the above method and it worked great.
 
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Sounds like good advice. One of the best scenes I ever saw with a zombie coming out of a grave was in a 70`s film with Peter Cushing as the zombie. Cant recall the name of the film though
 
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I presume this is the ex wife now or does she still love you even after burying her alive?

Still happily married! She was 8 months pregnant and said that being buried was a very peaceful feeling. When it comes to making a scene good, she really insists on pushing the realism. She offered to put live roaches in her mouth, for our latest short. Fortunately, we just needed them on her face. :yes:


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She got slimed pretty good, too.


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The woman has no fear. I guess that's why I married her! :lol:

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